Catfight
by Irhaboggles
Summary: What was going through Glinda's mind during the Catfight scene in the musical? Was it really Fiyero she was so cut up about losing? Or was it really still all only about Elphaba?


Glinda knelt sorrowfully in front of the place where Nessarose Thropp had breathed her last. Guilt was thick within her heart. Although she had never been very fond of the younger Thropp sister, finding her to be quite the whiny little brat who was always stealing Elphaba's attention, even Glinda wasn't callous enough to say that she was relieved that Nessa was dead. She wasn't. She hadn't wanted Nessa dead! It was only her selfish and petty desire for revenge that ever put Nessa in harm's way at all, but even then, Glinda had never wanted _this_. But it was too late to start regretting things now. Nessa was dead, and no spell in all of Oz could ever reverse that process.

But, she tried to reason with herself, it still wasn't entirely her fault. The only reason she'd sold Nessa out at all was because of Elphaba. A mere hour after Glinda's engagement party to Fiyero had been completed, Elphaba, herself, crashed the party, after spending so long in hiding. But what should've been a glorious reunion turned out to be a nightmarish confrontation. This was because it didn't take long for Elphaba to flee back into hiding, but this time, she didn't go alone. She had taken someone with her. It wasn't Glinda. It was Fiyero.

"You mean you and him? All this time? Behind my back?" Glinda's voice was full of betrayal when Elphaba readied to leave with Fiyero.

"No, it's not like that!" Elphaba protested. Glinda's heart leapt in her throat for just a second. She'd been in love with Elphaba ever since the Oz-Dust Ball they had both attended back in their freshman year of college. Glinda had been just too scared to say anything. Because of that, she'd endured years of silent longing and unrequited love and unanswered questions. Now, to hear that the girl she had loved so deeply for so very long was about to run off without her again, instead taking the person Glinda, herself, had already married, was like the nail in the coffin. The only thing that made any of it any worse was what Fiyero said next:

"Yes it was. Sort of," he had the grace to look ashamed of himself, but in the end, it did not matter. Either way, he had just confessed that he and Elphaba had been lovers this whole time, all behind Glinda's back. She honestly wasn't sure who she was angrier at. Was she angrier at Elphaba for running off with her fiancé, whom she had only married because she needed at least one connection to the green girl and Fiyero was as good as she was going to get? Or was she angrier at Fiyero for stealing the girl she loved? Or was she angrier at herself for allowing all of this to transpire instead of taking one of the many chances life had offered to her to speak out? But it wasn't only the confession of the affair that broke Glinda's aching heart, it was the realization that this was a part of Elphaba's life that Glinda was not a part of and never would be. But before Glinda could even speak, both Elphaba and Fiyero had run off. Together. Without her. Leaving her behind once again.

Glinda had gone around in a haze after that, only being brought back to her senses long enough to hear Madam Morrible conspiring with the Wizard of Oz on how to capture Elphaba. They needed a plan to lure the green witch back out of hiding once and for all!

"Her sister," Glinda replied hollowly, only half aware of the conversation at hand. Then she explained to Morrible and the Wizard how Nessa was Elphaba's one weak spot. Put Nessa in danger and Elphaba would come rushing in to help immediately.

How soon Glinda would come to regret what she had done! Scarcely three days later, Nessa had been killed, and it was all because Glinda had promised that getting to Nessa would ensure their capability to get to Elphaba as well. Now Nessa was dead because of her. Glinda's tears came in even harder and faster. No wonder Elphaba hadn't chosen her, for who could ever love a wicked witch such as herself?

During Glinda's mourning, Elphaba stepped from the shadows to join in. When Glinda saw Elphaba approach, her heart twisted in her chest. A feeling of intense love, pain and shame surged through her entire being, but she could see it in Elphaba's eyes that Elphaba needed time to process Nessa's death before they tried to address any other issue at hand. Because of that, just for a moment, Glinda held her tongue and allowed Elphaba to join her in mourning. Two ex-best friends briefly set aside their petty rivalry for the chance to grieve properly. But sadly, their attempt at a truce did not last longer than five minutes.

"Well, a lot of us are taking things that don't belong to us, aren't we?" Glinda challenged as she and Elphaba began to argue over who had the right to the shoes that Nessa had died in. They would've been the only thing left of her. Glinda regretted making this harsh remark instantly.

"I know it's hard for that blissful blond brain of yours to comprehend that somebody like him could actually choose somebody like me," Elphaba began coldly, but Glinda instantly felt another stab of pain surge through her heart when Elphaba said this. She had not meant Fiyero when she accused Elphaba of theft. She had meant her own heart. For how many decades now had Elphaba been in total control of Glinda's heart. In Glinda's eyes, then, the fact that she had chosen what to do with Nessa's shoes was nothing more than payback. A very sick, twisted payback, but payback nonetheless. However, it seemed that Elphaba had misunderstood what Glinda was accusing her of.

As Glinda continued to absorb what Elphaba was saying, her temper flared again. How could Elphaba say that she could not imagine how someone like Fiyero would've ever chosen someone like her when Glinda was living proof of that Elphaba was, in fact, far better than she realized.

"Why are you so surprised that Fiyero chose you when I chose you long before him! I loved you first!" Glinda was so close to screaming this out loud but, at the last possible second, she bit down hard on her tongue and remained silent. Now really wasn't the best time for a love confession. But even so, the indignation remained. Why _was _Elphaba so surprised that Fiyero would pick her when Glinda, as she had noted, had picked her first. Glinda was proof that such impossible love could exist for Elphaba, yet the green witch seemed to have forgotten about that.

"You can't change it!" Elphaba was still ranting at Glinda. "He never belonged to you, he doesn't love you and he never did. HE LOVES ME!" that was when Glinda finally snapped. Unable to listen to Elphaba any longer, she literally lashed out and slapped Elphaba right across the face. For a moment, there was only silence, then Elphaba began to cackle like a madwoman at Glinda's nerve as she clutched her stinging cheek. Glinda, however, could only hear Elphaba's previous remark echoing cruelly around her brain, only this time, it was slightly modified...

"I do not belong to you, I don't love you, and I never did. I LOVE HIM!" that was what Glinda could hear screaming around her brain, and it hurt far worse than what Elphaba had actually said. By this point, though, Glinda considered both statements synonymous. What did it matter the exact semantics of Elphaba's statement? At the end of the day, both sentences meant the same thing: Elphaba was not Glinda's, and it hurt.

"Feel better?" Elphaba asked suddenly, her cackle stopping dead in its tracks. Such a quick change in temperament brought Glinda back out of her bitter thoughts. For a moment, she considered the question. Then she forced a smug little smirk onto her face.

"Yes," she answered nastily. "Yes I do!"

"Good," Elphaba replied calmly. Then, faster than the blink of an eye, she had slapped Glinda across the cheek in return. "So do I!"

"What?! Oooooh... Why you little!" Glinda shrieked in anger, then she lunged at Elphaba. "CATFIGHT!" she bellowed, and then it was on. The two witches went at it tooth, nail, claw and wand, throwing magical and verbal curses back and forth at one another in sheer unadulterated loathing that Oz had not seen since their early college days.

"Dirty rat!"

"Ugly toad!"

"Stupid loser!"

"Lying coward!"

"Heartless monster!"

"Conniving snake!"

"Wicked Witch!"

"Snobby Sorceress!"

The insults flew like bullets as the two witches traded punches, kicks, claws and bites, trying to dig into anything that they could. Decades of pain were being released all at once, and boy did it feel GOOD! A few times, Elphaba and Glinda managed to exchange spells, which really lit up the battlefield, but before anything could get too bloody, the Gale Force arrived and physically tore the two witches apart.

"Stop! In the name of the Wizard!" the Gale Force soldiers cried as they stopped the catfight.

"Gah! Let me go! I almost had her!" Glinda whined as she was dragged off in one direction.

"Ha!" Elphaba snarked back as she was dragged in the other.

"We came as soon as you called, ma'am," one of the soldiers said to Glinda. That was when the adrenaline rush of battle faded instantly and turned back into raw hurt, pain and betrayal.

"Glinda, I can't believe you'd sink this low," Elphaba murmured in disbelief as she overheard what the guard restraining Glinda had told her. "To use my sister's death as a trap to capture me?" Elphaba sounded so disappointed and hurt that Glinda felt physically sick.

"No, it wasn't like that!" Glinda begged. "I only meant to-" but Glinda really had no other excuse or lie to hide behind this time. Although she genuinely had not meant for Nessa to die, death was death and guilt was guilt. Glinda could not deny what she had done. But what hurt her most of all at this moment was how genuinely betrayed Elphaba sounded, like she really had trusted Glinda even after all of this time. Knowing that she had just shattered that faith broke Glinda's heart, and a wave of nausea rolled over her. It killed her to realize that she had failed Elphaba, and betrayed Elphaba's trust in her. Glinda suddenly wished that she had died instead of Nessa. This was all her fault...

"NOOOOOOOOOOO!" a sudden voice from overhead shouted. Every head tilted upward to see Fiyero swinging in on a rope, Oz knew where it had come from. He landed right between Elphaba, Glinda, and the guards restraining them.

"Let the green girl go!" he commanded.

"Fiyero!" everyone in the area cried out with a mix of shock, anger, disbelief and fear. But Fiyero waved a hand for silence.

"Let her go," he repeated coldly. "Or explain to all of Oz how the Wizard's guards watched as Glinda the Good was slain!" his gun was suddenly cocked and pointed right at Glinda's head. Everyone in the area cried out once more, but Fiyero only kept his gun pointed right at Glinda.

Glinda's mind went blank as she looked at the nozzle of that gun. Although she could not deny how terrified she was right now, she had to admit that she probably deserved that bullet Fiyero was saving for her. Besides, if anything, this little stunt would only further solidify Elphaba's love for Fiyero and her hatred for Glinda. After all, Fiyero had come here to save Elphaba, while Glinda had come here to trap her. Who was more deserving of Elphaba now? Glinda hoped the bullet wouldn't hurt too much.

"Elphaba, go now," Fiyero commanded. Glinda was hardly aware that his gun had lowered itself from her head. All she saw was Elphaba, so close to the life that she deserved. Close to the life that Glinda didn't want her to have just because it was a life without her.

"No, not without you Fiyero," Elphaba cried devotedly. Glinda's heart sank even more in grief and envy. Oz knew Elphaba would never defend her like that. Not after all she had done to the poor green witch.

"Do it," Glinda finally choked out. It still hurt her so badly to let Elphaba go, but even she wasn't selfish enough to try and keep Elphaba with her anymore. It would be best if Elphaba and Fiyero could run away together and have the life that they deserved, the life that they wanted, a life together. Glinda wasn't going to stop them. Not now. Not anymore. All Glinda wanted now was for the girl she loved to be safe and happy. Elphaba met Glinda's eyes in amazement, having not expected Glinda to say such a thing, if anything at all! Her brown eyes suddenly flashed with concern and Glinda looked down, unable to meet those loving eyes without wanting to sob. Even if Glinda was giving Elphaba up today, the feelings she had for the green witch would not be removed quite as easily. She squeezed her eyes shut as she heard the sound of Elphaba running away. To safety. And away from her...

"Seize him!" one of the guards suddenly shouted. Glinda looked up immediately and was met with the sight of Fiyero being forced to his knees. He didn't even try to fight back as he was suddenly surrounded by the entire Gale Force.

"Wait what!?" Glinda panicked. The guards prepared to execute Fiyero.

"Stop!" Glinda screamed then. "In the name of goodness stop!" and to her infinite relief, they did.

"Don't you see?" she pleaded with the guards. "He was never going to harm me! He just..." Glinda broke off as a tiny sob rose up in her throat. She had to swallow painfully before continuing. "He... loves... her..." it was the hardest thing she'd ever had to say in her entire life, but she had to say it. She wasn't just saying it to try and bring mercy to Fiyero's story, though. She was also trying to say this for herself, and to finally verbally acknowledge what she was trying to cope with in her mind: the Elphaba belonged with Fiyero, and not her. And since Glinda only cared about Elphaba getting the happy ending that she deserved, that meant Fiyero HAD to live, no matter what it took.

"Glinda, I am so sorry," Fiyero murmured brokenly. Glinda could only shake her head with a miserable little smile. She couldn't believe he was asking for her forgiveness. It should've been the other way around.

"It's ok, I-" Glinda began, but she never got to finish before the Gale Force finally grew impatient, Glinda's words do nothing to help Fiyero.

"Take him to that field there! Put him on a pole until he tells us where the witch went!" the new leader of the Force interrupted.

"No wait!" Glinda screamed in fear as she felt Fiyero being yanked away from her. "Don't hurt him! Please don't hurt him!" she begged, but it was too late. Fiyero was gone. She could only reach out a hand and scream as he was taken away from her forever.

"FIYERO!"

Hours later, Glinda sat alone in her chambers, crying. How in Oz had life gotten so bad for her? Why did it seem that she was destined to spend her life alone, forever losing everyone she loved because of her own wicked actions? Why couldn't she truly be Glinda the Good? Or why couldn't life finally punish her and stop harming the people she loved? The torrent of emotions and guilt inside of Glinda were overpowering.

"Nessa...Fiyero...Elphie," she whimpered. She did eventually manage to go to sleep, but the dreamworld offered no sanctuary from her crimes. Her evil deeds followed her even into the realm of unconsciousness.

"You deserve each other," she whispered as she saw the phantom outline of Fiyero and Elphaba kissing. "I just wish... No. Don't wish, don't start. Wishing only wounds the heart..." she paused for a moment. "There's a girl I know, I love her so..."

**AN: I didn't just write out the Catfight scene for fun, I was also trying to make it Gelphie centric with the idea that some of Glinda's thoughts during the battle were not about Fiyero, but about Elphaba. What do you guys think?**


End file.
